Chapter 136 The right candidate
The formulation of all strategies is inseparable from the accurate grasp of the situation and people.
Ju Su planned this matter based on his judgment of the situation in the world, which was very clever. However, he did not know much about the various princes.
Just like Zhuge Liang's strategy of allying with Wu to fight against Cao, he did not expect that after the death of Zhou Yu and Lu Su, Sun Quan and his subordinates would turn out to be "rats from Jiangdong" who did not care about the world at all and only had Jingzhou in their eyes.
Ju Su had a good idea. Cao Cao was Yuan Shao's younger brother and had good abilities. Leading him to Bingzhou would not only help him deal with Tian Ze, but also remove obstacles for Yuan Shao to go south and occupy Yanzhou.
"My lord, is there any way to summon Cao Cao?" Ju Su asked the most crucial question.
Yuan Shao was silent.
Cao Cao used to be his younger brother, but now...
Although the Yuan family has a deep foundation and his network of contacts is strong, the world is now in chaos and people are restless. Cao Cao is already the governor of a county. He is no longer sure whether Cao Cao is willing to obey his orders.
Ju Su looked at Yuan Shao's reaction and immediately understood something. He continued, "If Cao Mengde is not suitable, what about Gongsun Zan?"
Yuan Shao's face darkened slightly, and he sighed: "Gongsun Bogui and Tian Chengshou are close friends."
"Given the current chaos, even close friends may not be able to stay together for long," Ju Su said.
When Yuan Shao was fighting against Dong Zhuo, he had close friends and former officials all over the country, but now, how many people will listen to him?
Especially now that Yuan Shu occupied Nanyang and Runan, the resources of the old Yuan family have been inclined towards Yuan Shu, and they no longer provide too much support to Yuan Shao.
When Yuan Shao heard this, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
This was indeed the case for others, but Gongsun Zan... he was really not sure.
Although Ju Su was once Han Fu's deputy, he was not trusted by Han Fu and did not participate in the princes' campaign against Dong Zhuo. Therefore, he knew a little about Cao Cao, Gongsun Zan and other princes in the world, but not much, except for Tian Ze who was right in front of him.
Therefore, when Han Fu was planning to give up Jizhou, Ju Su had tried to dissuade him. If he had experienced the princes' campaign against Dong Zhuo and seen the demeanor of the great leader Yuan at that time, he would not have been impressed by him, but at least he would not have offered advice to a mediocre leader like Han Fu.
When the princes were fighting against Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao discovered that just like his younger brother Cao Cao, who had a fierce heart and would not be under someone else's command or be ordered around by him, Gongsun Zan was also an extremely special person.
He had never seen such a stubborn prince, and Yuan Shao once doubted how this guy's character had survived to this day.
He is absolutely true to his nature. From the slogans of the White Horse Righteous Consorts he practiced, we can see that he is a very loyal and impulsive person. He is lucky to be alive today, in addition to being very good at fighting.
In the battle of Hulao Pass, he dared to fight against Lu Bu himself, which shocked him at that time. Sun Jian was not so reckless!
If Tian Ze hadn't come to the rescue, this guy would have died on the spot.
Tian Ze is not only his best friend, but also his lifesaver.
Yuan Shao felt that given Gongsun Zan's character, even if he gave Bingzhou to him, Gongsun Zan probably would not appreciate it. The possibility of him running directly to the grassland to fight the Xianbei and then turning around to attack him was much higher than attacking Tian Ze.
Because in this guy's eyes, the satisfaction of revenge is more important than conquering the world. He will beat anyone he dislikes, especially foreigners.
After listening to Yuan Shao's explanation, even Ju Su, who was always wise, couldn't help but have a headache.
It is said that in order to become a local lord, one must at least have some political wisdom!
There are no eternal enemies, no eternal friends, only eternal interests.
You must understand this truth!
How can such a person become a local lord?
The original strategy suddenly had a loophole, and Ju Su couldn't help but hesitate for a moment.
Yuan Shao's energy was limited. With the presence of the Southern Xiongnu and the Baibo bandits, plus the chaotic situation in Bingzhou, occupying Bingzhou would take a lot of time and involve great risks.
Moreover, Bingzhou is relatively poor, and a large number of personnel need to be stationed to stabilize the situation, while also guarding against Tian Ze's attack on any state. It is simply not worth the loss.
With this amount of time, it is probably enough to capture the relatively wealthy Xuzhou and Yanzhou.
But we can't just leave Bingzhou alone, otherwise it will be taken by Tian Ze sooner or later. But it's really hard to find a capable fighter who is willing to come to Bingzhou and form an alliance with Yuan Shao to resist Tian Ze.
Just as Ju Su was thinking about other ways to remedy the situation, Yuan Shao seemed to have thought of something and smiled. "Gong Yu, do you think Tian Chengshou will send troops to Bingzhou in the short term?" Yuan Shao asked.
Ju Shou shook his head. "That's impossible. Tian Chengshou knows that we won't sit back and watch him take Bingzhou. He is a steady person and will not send troops for at least one or two years."
"That's good. I have a suitable candidate here."
"Who?"
"It's not the right time yet. You will know it in the future." Yuan Shao said mysteriously.
……
In Yi County, in Yuan Shao’s military camp, Feng Ji, Gao Gan and Gao Lan finally put their minds at ease when they saw Yuan Shao’s army entering.
Too scary!
Ever since they witnessed the strength of the Youzhou Army, they understood their current situation.
If the Youzhou army were to take action, they would have no chance of winning. Even if they could hold out until Yuan Shao arrived, they would probably be crippled.
Fortunately, the other side was focused on pursuing the Southern Xiongnu and the Baibo bandits, and was busy seizing part of the territory in the northern part of Jizhou, and had no intention of attacking them.
"Greetings, my lord!" The three of them hurriedly greeted Yuan Shao respectfully after his arrival.
Yuan Shao personally helped the three men up one by one and comforted them.
He was well aware of the enormous pressure the three men had faced during this period. Even though there had been no war, they must have never relaxed for a moment.
With 160,000 troops in hand, Yuan Shao looked towards the direction of Yi County, but he did not feel complacent at all.
Although he was full of confidence when answering the question of whether Ju Shou could defeat Tian Ze, only he himself knew how confident he was.
I have many trump cards, doesn't Tian Ze have any too?
If we put aside the talents of the two armies, we are definitely the weaker side. These county soldiers cannot be compared with the fierce Youzhou army.
If a real fight breaks out, the outcome is hard to predict.
Now he still hopes that the negotiations with Ju Su can go smoothly.
Just as Yuan Shao was praying silently, Ju Su had already walked into Tian Ze's military tent.
Looking at Ju Su, who was wearing an elegant robe and had a gaunt face, I couldn't help but feel regretful.
Such a great talent, it’s a pity that he can’t get it!
Ju Su's wisdom, military tactics and strategic vision were all top-notch in the world, and he was also a loyal man, almost comparable to Xun Yu under Cao Cao and Zhuge Liang under Liu Bei.
Not only did he propose a strategy for Yuan Shao to sweep across Hebei and conquer the world, but he also had advanced political wisdom and the ability to grasp the current situation.
Whether it was his suggestion to hold the emperor hostage, his opposition to the separatism of the various sons of emperor, his proposal to tire Cao out for three years, or his slow-advance tactics during the Battle of Guandu, or his proposal to protect grain supplies in appearance before the burning of Wuchao, all of them showed his terrifying wisdom.
If Yuan Shao had listened to any of them, Cao Cao would probably not have been able to defeat Yuan Shao, and eventually unifying the north and even the world would have been a piece of cake.
However, it was a pity that Ju Su's reputation was too great at that time.
Since Yuan Shao took control of Jizhou, Ju Su supervised the internal and external affairs and intimidated the three armies, helping Yuan Shao seize Qingzhou, Bingzhou, and Youzhou and unify Hebei.
It can be said that most of the foundation was laid by Ju Su, and his contribution was no less than that of Han Xin and Xiao He.
How could the narrow-minded Yuan Shao tolerate Ju Shou? Moreover, Ju Shou came from a powerful family in Jizhou and was the leader of the Jizhou faction.
Although Yuan Shao wanted to be the second Liu Xiu, he was unwilling to rule the world together with the aristocratic families like Liu Xiu did, rather than holding all the power himself.
The root cause of the Eastern Han Dynasty's disaster had been deeply buried since Liu Xiu founded the country. As the vested beneficiary, Yuan Shao knew the cause and effect best.
(End of this chapter)
